Neuroblastoma Is the Most Common Cancer Found in Infants. It Is Rarely Found in Children

Neuroblastoma Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer found in Neuroblastoma can have different effects on the eye. infants. It is rarely found in children older than ten. This If metastasized, this cancer often affects the orbit, the form of cancer forms in developing nerve cells of an bony socket that protects the eyeball. When this embryo or fetus. (The term ‘neuro’ means nerves, and occurs, proptosis (a protrusion or bulging forward of the the ‘blastoma’ is a cancer in developing cells.) eyeball) is often a physical result. Also there can be Neuroblastoma is a solid tumor cancer that forms in the bruising of the eye tissue, known as periorbital nervous system, which is the brain, spinal cord, and all ecchymosis. This is a bleeding of the tissues resulting in the nerves that travel throughout the body. The discoloration of the skin. Other physical signs are sympathetic nervous system, which is the part affected opsoclonus, a series of jerky or erratic movements of by neuroblastoma, consists of the nerve fibers that span both eyes (usually horizontally) and Horner’s syndrome, the length of the spinal cord, clusters of nerve cells caused by damage to the sympathetic nerves often on called ganglea found along the path of the nerve fibers, just one side of the head. This syndrome can bring and nerve-like cells found in the adrenal glands of the about miosis (constricted pupils), ptosis (droopy eyelid) kidneys. Neuroblastomas form in these cells, so they and anhydrosis (reduced facial sweating). can be found anywhere throughout these paths. The majority are found in the abdomen, with the rest occurring in the chest, neck, pelvis or other locations.

Blindness in Children with Neuroblastoma. (1997). Retrieved July 2009, from Wiley InterScience:

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/75502572/ Neuroblastoma occurs with different degrees of abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 gravity and aggression, labeled low-, intermediate-, Legacy Newsletter Vol. 23. (2008, November). Retrieved and high-risk. Children diagnosed with the low-risk July 2009, from The University of Chicago Medical variety usually require surgery alone and recover Center: http://sparkdiscovery.uchicago.edu remarkably well. Intermediate-risk patients are treated with moderate doses of chemotherapy. Survival rates New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapies. (n.d.). for these two groups are over 95 percent. Blindness can Retrieved July 2009, from Los Angeles Children's occur if the cancer has metastasized. This form of Hospital: http://www.nant.org/ cancer often metastasizes to the bone marrow, bone, liver, lymph nodes, and less commonly the skin or the Varma, D. (n.d.). Acute visual loss as an early brain. About 50% of children with neuroblastoma will manifestation of metastatic neuroblastoma. Retrieved have high-risk disease, which often returns or becomes July 2009, from Nature.com: resistant to standard therapies. These patients often http://www.nature.com/eye/journal/v17/n2/full/67002 develop secondary cancers. Treatment includes 89a.html#fig1 chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation and radiation What is Neuroblastoma? (n.d.). Retrieved from therapy. American Cancer Society: Neuroblastoma http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1 X_What_is_neuroblastoma_31.asp